PHOENIX - A bill that would push the last call for alcohol sales back an hour moved one step closer to becoming a law yesterday.
The legislation gained initial approval, passing out of the Senate Committee of the Whole by a vote of 13-8.
The Senate must take a final vote on the bill before it is passed to the governor's desk.
Gov. Janet Napolitano has said she would sign the bill into law.
Sen. Jorge Garcia, D-Tucson, said the bill is an example of bar owners preying on college-aged students.
Garcia poked fun at the bill's backers, who say a later last call will increase tourism. He jokingly proposed an amendment to the bill that would have allowed anyone charged with driving under the influence to use the fact that they are helping the tourism industry as a legal defense.
"We have an industry out there that is promoting (you) to get inebriated, go home and take your chances," Garcia said.
The bill that was approved went through without any amendments.
Senators voting against the bill said the later closing time would increase the number of drunken drivers, and said it was ridiculous that a 2:30 a.m. closing time would give drinkers more time to sober up.
Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale, said she didn't believe giving people a half-hour after last call to sit around would actually help them sober up.
"I am not comfortable with this bill," Allen said.
Sen. Robert Blendu, R-Litchfield Park, said police he has talked to are worried that the later last call would increase their workload.
"If you think keeping the bars open another hour is going to reduce the amount of drunks on the road and that there is going to be less people drinking, please explain that to me," Blendu said.
"If that was really our intent, what we would do is leave the bars open until 2 but stop the drinking at 1," he said. "But that is not really the intent. The intent is to sell more product for another hour."
Blendu said the bill would increase the amount of drunken drivers and fill the prisons with DUI convicts.
Sen. Linda Binder, R-Lake Havasu City, argued in support of the bill, saying foreign tourists are turned off by the early closing hour.
"This is a tourist state. We have a lot of visitors from overseas. ... They are used to eating at 10 o'clock at night," Binder said. "I know this town closes down at about 9 o'clock, and I have seen a lot of very disappointed foreign tourists."
Arizona United, a group of college-aged students from Phoenix trying to get a measure on the ballot that would push last call to 3 a.m., abandoned those efforts earlier this week.